Mayor Mike Rawlings Calls Dallas Wave a Mistake

Even Dallas Mayor Mike Rawlings has called the Dallas Wave a “mistake,” echoing earlier comments from City Manager A.C. Gonzalez. Rawlings said he would vote for its removal unless repair costs came in at considerably less expense.

City officials have insisted for weeks that they don’t know what any option will cost. But Willis Winters, Park and Recreation director, said it could run as much as $3 million — or more — to remove the Dallas Wave, and that it could be less expensive to repair than to remove the feature.

The RFQ suggests it could — or should — cost half that much in a previously unmentioned estimate.

“The estimate for the partial or complete removal of the existing structures or bypass channel modifications is approximately $1,500,000 to $3,000,000,” says the document, “but it is the objective of the City of Dallas to meet the requirements of the project in the most cost-effective manner.”